Liatris pycnostachya |
Liatris cymosa |
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cat-tail gayfeather, prairie blazing star, prairie gayfeather, thick-spike blazing star |
Aggie-land gayfeather, branch blazing star, branch gayfeather |
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Habit | Plants (40–)60–120(–180) cm. | Plants 20–75 cm. | ||||
Stems | glabrous or densely piloso-puberulent. |
strigoso-puberulent. |
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Leaves | basal and proximal cauline 3–5-nerved, linear to narrowly oblanceolate or oblanceolate, 110–220 × 4–10(–12) mm, gradually then abruptly reduced distally (bractlike proximal to heads), essentially glabrous or sparsely pilose to densely piloso-puberulent, weakly gland-dotted (bases of basal usually fibrous-persistent). |
basal and proximal cauline 1-nerved, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 80–120 × 2–5 mm, gradually reduced distally or abruptly reduced on distal 1/2 of stems, essentially glabrous (margins proximally piloso-ciliate). |
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Peduncles | usually 0, rarely (spreading to ascending) 1–2 mm. |
20–70 mm (bracteate). |
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Involucres | campanulate-cylindric, 7–9(–10) × 3.5–5 mm. |
cylindro-campanulate, 14–17 × 8–11 mm. |
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Florets | (4–)5–8; corolla tubes glabrous inside. |
20–25; corolla tubes glabrous inside. |
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Phyllaries | (reflexed or curving-spreading) in 4–5 series, oblong-lanceolate, unequal, essentially glabrous or ± pilose, margins with hyaline borders, sometimes ciliate, apices usually acute to acute-acuminate (sometimes distally dilated, nearly petaloid). |
in 5–7 series, broadly oblong-obovate (outer) to broadly oblong, strongly unequal, sparsely short-pilose, margins without hyaline borders, ciliolate, apices rounded, sometimes mucronate. |
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Heads | in dense, spiciform arrays. |
(2–20+) in open, cymiform arrays. |
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Cypselae | 3.8–4.5(–5) mm; pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate. |
6–7 mm; pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles plumose. |
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Corms | globose, sometimes becoming elongate rhizomes. |
globose to elongate-globose. |
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Liatris pycnostachya |
Liatris cymosa |
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Phenology | Flowering (Jul–)Aug–Oct. | |||||
Habitat | Post oak woodlands, fields, fencerows, openings, edges, clay soils | |||||
Elevation | 50–100 m (200–300 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
AR; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MI; MN; MO; MS; ND; NE; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SD; TX; WI
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TX |
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Discussion | Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Of conservation concern. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 21. | FNA vol. 21, p. 520. | ||||
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Eupatorieae > Liatris | Asteraceae > tribe Eupatorieae > Liatris | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | Lacinaria pycnostachya | Lacinaria cymosa | ||||
Name authority | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 91. (1803) | (Ness) K. Schumann: Just’s Bot. Jahresber. 27(1): 528. (1901) | ||||
Web links |